Species-rich meadows have become rare, and their characteristic species are increasingly appearing on Red Lists. To enhance the sustainability of urban areas, we should therefore take a closer look at the biodiversity of green spaces and seek ways to promote species diversity in these habitats. This approach also aligns with the goals of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021–30 and the EU’s new Nature Restoration Regulation.

In this self-funded project, we are ecologically enhancing meadows on the university campus to promote their species richness. We are using various methods to introduce as many typical meadow forbs as possible into the stands. This also benefits pollinators and other species that depend on flower-rich meadows. Our approach naturally also takes into account the historic preservation status of the RUB campus. Furthermore, the species-rich meadows help make our campus more sustainable and colorful.

The resulting areas are used not only in research but also in teaching to support the “Research-based Learning” approach. This experiment allows students to compare three different soil preparation methods and, by recording the species inventory, learn which plant species were able to establish themselves in which plots—and why some did not.